Thread by @jeysundhar_d

This is the first time I see the words "slavish" associated with Sati and Savitri. Let's see if we can make it the last time, shall we? #Thread

https://twitter.com/madversity/status/1253352678366883844

Let's start with Savitri. The story comes to us from the Mahabharata.

Born to a king, Savitri sets out to find her match herself.

After a long search, she zeros in on Satyavan, by all respects handsome, strong and perfect (As Narada himself attests).

However, Savitri's father is not convinced.

Satyavan is the son of a blind,bankrupt king. But that's the least of the worries.
He is destined to die a year from now. Both her father and ?Narada try to dissuade Savitri from marrying Satyavan.

Like a "slavish" woman, does Savitri listen? NO

She has decided to marry Satyavan and she will, come what may.
She will face the consequences of her decision as they unravel.

And unravel, they do.

In no time, the promised year, a year full of happiness for the couple, is over.

Death is around the corner.

Satyavati uses the last three days to pray and fast. It is her husband's life and she has taken it upon herself to keep it going.

Yep, the "slavish" woman, you'd imagine.

And death knocks on their door on the promised day, as ordained.

Satyavan falls holding his head when he is chopping wood. Savitri takes his head in her lap, and his life in her hands.

Yama, the God of Death, arrives all ethereal, to take away Satyavan's life.

See how Raja Ravi Varma captures the moment.

Look closely at Savitri as captured by Ravi Varma. She knows it is Yama. She knows that Satyavan's time has come. Kala himself is here to take him away.

But see how her strong hand is raised to stop Him.

Savitri does not spread both hands begging Yama.
Nope.

She holds her husband tight with her right hand and attempts to stop Yama with just one, that too, her left hand.

Hardly a "slavish" woman.

It is not enough. The inevitable happens. Yama takes Satyavan's life.

You'd expect "slavish" Savitri to give up at this point and go back home, right?

No. This is SAVITRI. She follows Yama. Over mountains, across rivers, she follows him.

Yama, initially nonchalant, is perturbed by her persistence.
He tries to talk her out of it.

In response, Savitri goes into the classical Sama, Dhana routine. She praises Yama for his virtues.

Shakespeare's Mark Anthony would have been proud of Savitri's "Yama is an honourable God" trope.

She praises him to the point that Yama now offers her a boon.

Success? No. Too easy.

Yama says she can have any boon, EXCEPT the life of her husband.

Savitri is smart. She isn't going to let go of an offer. She asks that her father-in-law have sight and get back his kingdom.
It is GRANTED!

The old king, blind and bumbling about in the forest, now has both his sight and his kingdom restored in a single stroke. All because of a "slavish" woman.

It is not over. Not yet. Yama continues towards Yamaloka.

Savitri continues to follow him. Yama goes, "What now? You've got your boon. Go back home."

Savitri, "Oh great Sire! I need to thank you for your generosity and your righteousness!"
More Sama Dhana.

Yama is mighty impressed. "Alright. Take another boon EXCEPT for Satyavan's life."

Savitri now asks for a hundred children for her father.
Yama wonders about it for a moment. Then he says, "Granted".

Yama does not realise at this stage that with her 2nd boon, Savitri is not just helping her father's lineage but conjuring a clever smokescreen for what's coming next.

He continues to Yamaloka. Savitri follows.

Yama has had it now. He says "Lady! This is the Vaitarani River. There is no return once you cross it. I've already given you two boons. Please go home now".

Before we get to what Savitri said, let's imagine how scary the scene must have looked.

Yama, the God of Death, the mere mention of whose name brings foreboding, on his dark steed, buffalo with gigantic horns, with the rope that pulls life out of a body, on the banks of Vaitarani river, beyond which is the world of the dead.

And poor, "slavish" Savitri.

Savitri starts to praise him as the Lord of Time and Death, the great impartial deliverer of justice, and so on.

Yama, by now, knows the routine. He offers her another boon EXCEPT the life of Satyavan.

Savitri is ready. She asks for a seemingly innocent boon, along the same lines as her previous one. 100 children, but for her and Satyavan!

Yama is at a complete loss. It is not an explicit demand for Satyavan's life, but well...

A situation that can be aptly called Dharma Sankat, for the God of Dharma, Yama.

So, he makes a counter-offer, "Ok, not that one. Anything else...please...!"

Savitri seizes the moment.

Note here.

Yama has promised any other boon except the 100 children for Savitri and Satyavan, but has forgotten the older caveat of not returning Satyavan's life!

So, with the smokescreen of a more atrocious boon, Savitri has made Yama forget his earlier reservation against restoring Satyavan to life.

So, she says, "Ok. Forget about the 100 children. I understand it's difficult. Just give me back Satyavan!"

Yama, the God of Dharma, cannot go back on his word. And he can say "No" only so many times.

Our "slavish" Savitri won't take no for an answer. So, lo and behold! Satyavan comes back to life!

He wakes up as though from a slumber. Has no idea that he died and came back to life. Has no idea what happened.

Yama blesses them both with a long life and departs.

So, the "slavish" woman returns with her husband, alive and kicking, not to her forest home, but to the palace of her father in law, who is now the King.

He sees and welcomes them back home with great joy.

So, in one stroke, the "slavish" Savitri turns around utter calamity into great opportunity for restoring sight, wealth, power and life itself!

We'll look at Sati in a bit.

Sati, the daughter of the illustrious king Daksha... married no less than a God, Shiva Himself.

Now, this didn't find favor with Daksha, who didn't want his princess to go about the mountains with the ascetic.

But Sati knew what she wanted and continued her life happily with Shiva.

All was well....until, Daksha decided to organise a grand Yagna.

He invited everybody, gods, devas, sages, kings, anyone and everyone who was someone was invited to Daksha's yagna... all EXCEPT Shiva.

Shiva chose not to attend the yagna, despite being entitled to his havir bhaaga (share of the offerings).

But that wasn't going to stop Sati. Her father had slighted her husband. She wasn't going to take it lightly, even if Shiva didn't care.
She would take the fight straight to Daksha, come what may.

Shiva demurred. He said that the Yagna was doomed to failure anyway, and Sati need not do anything.

Now, that wasn't enough to stop Sati. So, off she went, straight to the Daksha Yagna.

It didn't take her long to realise that her father was equally stubborn. He was not going to invite Shiva, no matter what.

Overcome with rage, Sati cursed Daksha and his yagna, And then, she did something even more incredible.

Since the body and life in it had come from Daksha, she wanted no part of it. She chose to shed it completely.

Sati invoked her yogagni and burnt herself to ashes.

A "slavish" woman who disregarded the words of her husband because she wanted to avenge the insult meted out to him.

A "slavish" woman who threw away her body and life because it had come from a father whom she no longer respected.

Both Sati and Savitri were women with agency and authority.

They upheld Dharma, and did so in a manner of their choice. They refused to be prey to Tamas and abandon action.

One fought against her father for what was rightfully owed to her husband and in the fight, chose to discard her body and life.

The other, faced Death itself. But instead of smiling at Death and accepting what came, she chose to look at Death with great rage and tactfully brought her beloved back to life.

So, to use "Sati Savitri" to describe being "slavish" is a complete disservice to qualities of courage, ownership, responsibility and authority that both Sati and Savitri possessed.

End of thread. Thank you for your attention.

@threadreaderapp Please compile.